The fourth tier of the North American soccer pyramid doesn’t get too much love. Expect for in Detroit.

If you’re vaguely familiar with the lower leagues of the American soccer scene, you will know that something pretty special is going on in the Motor City.

Detroit City have incredible support off the pitch and on the pitch they have won three from three this season and have yet to concede a goal. Rumors have linked the City of Detroit getting a Major League Soccer franchise in the next wave of MLS expansion and with support like this it is easy to see why a top-flight soccer side would flourish in Michigan’s largest city.

Watch the video above from Detroit’s 1-0 win over Lansing United last Friday to see a packed house, drums, a march to the match, smoke bombs galore and an incredible atmosphere created by a unique set of fans.

Chattanooga FC drew 5,000+ for an NPSL games, and over 6,000 for a friendly. Chattanooga is one fourth the size of Detroit. In addition, DCFC also relies on supporters from outside the greater Detroit area, a fact their fans crow about. So, impressed? Not really.

That actually makes sense… in a city of 167k with no major sports teams within 100+ miles. What better is there to do? You SHOULD have that many people show up. I mean it’s great, don’t get me wrong! That being said though, 2000+ avg. is better than half of USL Pro and if they climb to 3000+ avg for the season it’s better than at least the last few seasons for FC Edmonton in the NASL. It’s all pretty impressive. Regardless, and here’s the bottom line, its great to see the sport growing across the country and especially in a bigger market like Detroit.

Detroit is not on the banks of Lake Erie. It’s on the Detroit River. Plus we have two Fourth tier teams. Both draw good crowds. Plus downtown Detroit isn’t the safest place to see a game. But it’s not that bad in this city as people are led to believe. Most people around here don’t even know the team exists.